The Daughter Of A Titan
by h2onat
Summary: The dream Veronica has been having couldn't get any scarier, but then her life is flipped upside down when she finds out her parents true identities. Now she wonders maybe that dream could mean something more.
1. Chapter 1

This is the story of the Next Generation Titans. I got the idea from other Fanfictions like My Life, so I give credit to author of that for inspiring me. Hope you like!

I opened my eyes to a darkly lit room, except I knew it wasn't a room. I had been here before, many times. I stood up and, like always, rushed towards the metals bars that made up the far side of the dungeon. I already knew that there was no way out, but I ran anyways. Even as I approached the dark steel, I didn't slow. My arms still pumped mechanically at my side, my lungs gulped down air, but I could feel my throat closing. Breathing became pointless, the air seemed to thicken and my legs tightened like bows. I was the arrow. In a last ditch effort, I lunged forward and drove my shoulder into the metal bars. I crumpled to the ground in pain. I knew there was no way the bars had moved, it wasn't possible. A cry caught in my throat, and a tear escaped down my cheek. If you have asthma, then you know how much harder it is to breathe when your crying. Everything went fuzzy (like I knew it would) as the scariest part of all this came. My head rested limply against something soft. I looked up into a face I knew, and yet I had no idea who it was. A boy with pale skin, shaggy black hair, and dark eyes framed with glasses stood above me, I was leaning against his leg. He helped me up, but he was my age and so he was at least a head taller than me.

"You know you'll never beat it, so why do you keep trying?" His harsh voice rang through me. I knew he wasn't mean, but he was honest, almost rudely truthful. "It's a waste of time for a weakling like you. All you'll ever be useful for is helping others, never yourself. Time to wake up!" And so I did.

I was startled awake by the loud buzzing of my alarm clock. I bolted upright, panting. I hated that dream, I had it every night. The worst part was knowing everything that guy said was true. I looked at one of my tightly clenched fists. I wasn't strong or pretty like everyone else. I couldn't do anything right. Everyone else had to deal with their parents getting divorced, moving out of state, or bad grades. Me? I was the rock that my friends leaned on, the shoulder they cried on. All the while I had to keep myself together. Everything seemed to come at me from all directions, but the only place that was safe for me to cry was my bed. I chucked the first thing my hand touched, which happened to be my alarm clock, at the wall. The buzzing stopped. I sighed and hopped out of bed to inspect the damage, but there was none, the wall had turned it off.

I threw on a pair of dark wash flares and a Kiss t-shirt. I glanced in the mirror but only for a quick second, and I barely registered the dark purple bruise on the side of my face. I was used to physical injuries, I got threatened, beaten and bullied daily. No one could care less, so why should I? I dashed down the stairs because, like usual, I was late.

"Veronica, do you wish to indulge in the savory meat called bacon?" Chirped my mother. I shook my head and nabbed my backpack on my way out the front door. Some mother, she didn't even notice the bruise, she never noticed anything except the local paper. My parents aren't divorced, they're married but my dad lives somewhere else, I've never met the jerk. He's probably a crack addict. I shook my head clear of that thought as I neared the bus stop. Time to put on the 'I don't care' face.

The big yellow hearse was just pulling up, ready to deliver me to my death. I dragged my feet up the stairs and walked down the skinny aisle, dodging the feet of some annoying little sixth graders. I slid into a seat in the back row, by the window. Anyone with a brain and eyes could tell that I wanted to be left alone. So I was. I gazed out the window at the bright city around me. We lived in Gotham, a big city with a well deserved bad reputation. In the distance, a siren blared, drowning out my thoughts. _Please, let the school be on fire. Please let the school be on fire._ No such luck. A gray, tan, and graffiti painted building came into view. It had the same barred windows and heavy metal doors as the prison down the street, but this place was much, much worse. I scrambled off the bus and towards my nightmare just like I did everyday. Following the swarm of students, I navigated to my locker. I spun the tiny lock and opened the blue cubby. After shoving a few more books in, I slammed the door shut with a loud clanging noise. Next I headed to my homeroom, rushing as usual. If someone didn't know, I would look ridiculous, speed walking through the halls of a high school as though I actually cared about being on time. To bad I didn't make it.

"Slow down geek." He chuckled and stuck his burly arm out, blocking my path. He wasn't the only one there either. It seemed as though the whole football team wanted to bulldoze me into the ground as they surrounded me like a pride of lions. I scanned the halls for any teachers. Spotting Ms. Jenkins, I smirked, she was the meanest teacher in the school, which was exactly what I wanted.

"Ms. Jenkins!" I waved to her with a big cheesy grin. "I have a question on last night's homework!" The jocks scattered like cockroaches, ducking into nearby classrooms. No one wanted to get on the bad side of this teacher. She hobbled over to me in her black alligator heels, her constant scowl deepening when she realized who I was.

"Veronica, what are you talking about," She grumbled through her crooked fangs. "You haven't done your homework once this entire semester!"

"Oh yeah," I muttered, scratching my head. "well I had better things to do, so bye!" I turned and sprinted down the hall towards the stairs… Only to be stopped by Mr. Evil himself, except this year he had been promoted to Principal. Principal Dudley. Principal Humphrey Dudley. Rolls off the tongue, does it not?

I tried to escape into the girls bathroom next to the stairs but tripped over my own feet. CURSE YOU FEET! Being one for the dramatics, I pulled myself forward little by little until I was halfway through the doorway, which is where my 'luck' ran out.

"Miss Veronica Thomas. Why am I not surprised?" Principal Dudley stood behind me, a fuming Ms. Jenkins at his side. I couldn't help but see them as a couple for a second. Satan could marry them and they could have little demon children and harass innocent students together. How **special**. For now, they would torment me.

They had called my mom. MY MOM! After all those months of what I thought were just empty threats, they had actually picked up a phone, dialed my home number, and told my mom that she had to come by and have a conference. For what reason you may ask? Running in the halls. Also something about disrupting classes, but mostly running in the halls. There are kids who bring KNIVES and GUNS to school and I'm being punished for running in the halls! A door shut quietly and my mom came forward and took a seat next to me. Principal Dudley's (Ms. Jenkins had gone back to class) jaw dropped before he corrected himself, except now worry creased his forehead. I peered over at mom, she was a little strange looking when I thought about it, orange-tinted skin, long red hair, and bright green eyes. All her features contrasted her casual mom wear. This is why I never invite anyone over, she also talks weird. She wasn't really saying much right now though because Principal D was attempting to amp up the running down the hall story so he could pin something on me. As it turns out, he has a flare for the dramatics too.

I was used to hearing these lectures so I just stared down at my hands, lost in thought. I had pretty normal skin with only the slightest hint of orange, like a bad fake tan that had almost worn off. My hair was medium length, black and spiky at the bottom. I had green eyes, but not nearly as green as my mom's. It made me wonder who my father is, where he was, and, if he wasn't a drug addict, why he wasn't here with my mom and me. The words 'suspension for a week' caught my attention. Oh well, at least I'd have time for my activities.

Yay Chapter One! I think this is going to be my best story yet. Can you tell who Veronica's mom is? Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Did you guess the identity of Veronica's mom? I think I made it pretty obvious that it was Starfire. Alex was the first one to guess it so yayz Alex! Enjoy!

**After we got home, mom ordered take-out like usual and attempted to upbraid me for my behavior. I sat on the couch across from her and took it. I tried telling her it wasn't a big thing because I really didn't pay attention in school anyway, but she simply shook her head and sighed.**

"**I have had enough of the punishing for tonight." She finished her sweet and sour chicken and threw out the empty Styrofoam box. "You are grounded inside this house until you are un-suspended."**

**I nodded and trotted up the stairs to my room, tossing my garbage in the trash can as I passed. I really didn't care about being grounded, where would I have gone? My friends were at school all day anyway. I locked my bedroom door behind me and automatically started to change into a black sweater and black jeans. Since I never got much sleep I had taken to running around outside at night, and no grounding was going to stop me. I slid open my window and peered around in the darkness. It was 10:30 already. That's how long my mom was trying to lecture me! The window across from mine belonged to an eight-year-old named Tommy, who was already in bed, asleep. I smiled, this had become a lot easier since our new neighbors moved in. I stepped up on the windowsill and grabbed the edge of the rain gutter. It wasn't strong enough to hold me but it helped me keep my balance long enough for me to get a foothold in the brick siding and hoist myself onto the sloping ridge.**

**I gazed in wonder at the trash heap of a city around me. Skyscrapers and apartment buildings that were falling to pieces, condemned businesses with caved in ceilings, and cracked and disheveled sidewalks. It was practically a ghost town. I lived in the outer, more lively ring of the forsaken city. What must have happened to a once beautiful place? **

**I shook my head, not unlike my mom had earlier, and scaled my way over to the backside of the house, where there was a fire escape. You see, the house I live in was once an apartment building, but now it's not. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. Anyways, I snuck as quietly as I could down to the ground. Then I sprinted until I was on a street dimly lit by street lights. I looked up, I was on Waterbrook Ave, a busy street during the day, a hang out for thugs at night. I turned to my left, getting as far away from my house as possible. Then I slipped between two buildings and out of sight of any onlookers. If I was caught, my mom would ground me for much longer than a week.**

**I was in a narrow alleyway now. I took a step forward and tripped over something. I looked down, anticipating something like a severed limb. (What can I say? This place was creepy!) I was right, except this limb was attached to someone, and this someone did not seem happy with me. I turned and ran as the man leapt to his feet, his footsteps pattering behind me. As we raced, his footfalls faded into the distance, not because I was faster, but because I couldn't breathe. Asthma does that to you. My ears rang and my vision blurred as my arms pumped rhythmically at my side. At this rate I was going to trip! Then something far off… roared? A Lion? There wasn't even a zoo nearby. My head twisted around and there cutting off my attacker was a big green… Lion? It looked like a lion.**

"**Hey look out!" Someone shouted. I whipped my head back front just in time to watch myself crash through the front window of a store, my legs bouncing off the low brick wall and following the rest of me. I landed on my side on top of a bed of broken glass, dazed and panting. The store burglary alarms went off. Then sudden pain hit me. Glass was jabbing into my body like knives and my lungs seared with every breathe.**

**Two men stood in front of the broken window, one was half made of metal and the other was… well, green! They looked at each other, concerned looks on their faces. The hallucinations faded away. My eyes fluttered shut. The last thing I recall is something cold and hard, holding me.**

**I'm dead. Great. You know I always imagined that I wouldn't die until I was **_**at least **_**thirty. The thing about death is, it's pretty long and boring. And dark. Very dark. It's good that I'm not afraid of the dark, because there's a lot of it here. After an eternity, I was able to open my eyes.**

**Woohoo! Chapter 2! Sorry it's kinda short but it's something! Just so you know: Veronica is 15 and a Freshman in high school. Please R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would just like to give a shout out to Alex for being an awesome reviewer. THANK YOU ALEX! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I guess I should put this in, I do not own Teen Titans. There I said it! Now I sad…**

Hospitals, I spend way to much time in them. There was the time we played Softball in P.E. and I broke my leg sliding (at least I was safe). That was the last time I participated in any form of school activity. Then there was the time I took a gymnastics lesson and tried to do the splits… that didn't end well either. There's a good reason why I'm not in any sports: I suck at them.

Of course, sports have never quite hurt me this bad. I groaned, and let my eyes fall open. I had been awake for a while now and sooner or later I was going to have to face my mother, and to do that I would have to be conscious. Maybe she'd go easy on me, since I was hurt? I sighed, (ouch), a girl could dream. The bed I was laying in was white with metal railings on either side. A curtain was drawn around my bed and, need I say, it was white. What, did really look that bad? I looked down at myself. Okay, I looked pretty bad, but was I really curtain worthy? I could hear people whispering on the other side of the pointless curtain. By the sound of their conversation, they hadn't realized I was awake.

"Starfire, we can't ignore the situation, sooner or later she's going to have to know the truth." A strong but still quiet voice said. I had heard that voice… I closed my eyes and listened.

"I know of the arrangements you've made, but I fear it will confuse her." That was mom, no doubt.

"On the bright side, she can meet _him_." I frowned, this third voice was unfamiliar. And who was he talking about?

"BB, that might not be a good thing." I let out a quiet gasp, the first voice was the same as the person who had yelled 'Hey look out!' before I ran into the window. Okay so I've been doing some thinking about those two people I saw that night. Here's what I've concluded: A) I'm not creative enough to dream them up, B) The big half robot man was the one who shouted the warning at me, and C) The big green lion was _not_ from the zoo. Also, the third voice is probably the green guy. As for the rest of what they've said, apparently Starfire is a nickname for mom and she must know them from somewhere.

By now the conversation was winding down to a point where I was tired of it. Time to wake up.

"Mommy?" I murmured, putting all my effort into looking weak. A moment later my mother pulled back the curtain and peered in on me with worried eyes.

"You are awake?" No, I thought, I'm sleeping with my eyes open. I nodded then yawned. If it was worth doing it was worth hamming it up, or whatever. "Are you doing well?" Just dandy! Crashing through a window? No problem!

"My head hurts, and my side." I coughed, which actually did hurt. Overall I was coping. I could feel that at least half of my body was covered in bandages from the broken glass, including the dressings wrapped around my forehead.

"Star…" whined someone on the other side of the curtain. Were they still here?

Mom nodded, "I know," she whispered under her breath, then started again. "Veronica, there are friends here to meet you and welcome you." The curtain was pulled back more by a green man. THE green man. A completely green guy with green hair and wearing a black and burgundy jumpsuit. Another man stood next to him, a man that was, in fact, not a man at all. He was a half robot, he was a Cyborg. He stood a good foot taller than the green man.

"Yo!" said the green man. "Name's Beast Boy." I grinned at the ironic nickname. The man was extremely skinny and other than his skin and hair color, he wasn't very beastly. "This big hunk of metal is Cyborg." Cyborg sighed and shook his head, as though he was still worried about their previous conversation.

"I'm Veronica." I said enthusiastically. "Aren't you the guys who were there when-"

"They are old friends and teammates of mine." My mom interrupted. I frowned, she sounded almost normal there. Wait, teammates? Was mom in some kind of gang?

I looked around the room for the first time, taking everything in. It wasn't a hospital, though it smelled like one. It was too… colorful? The walls were painted light blue and instead of a normal door, this one was big, metal and opened like an elevator. Mom sat in a comfy looking armchair in the weirdest kind of outfit a mom could wear. The midriff showing kind. A purple and silver top and skirt with matching boots. Silver bracelets adorned her wrists and a green gem sat at the base of her neck. I was fuming on the inside. If I ever tried to wear anything like that outside the house, she would kill me.

While I took everything in, everyone else remained silent. Then, a girl, slightly older than me, burst through the door.

"Dad, Rylie did _this_ to my I-pod!" Shouted the green skinned girl, pulling out the smoldering remains of the music player. Beast Boy sighed rubbing his temples. Only now did I see the deep bags under his eyes.

"S'okay, we got the warranty." The girl glared at her father and rushed out the door. Beast Boy sighed again and followed slowly after her.

"Well," Cyborg said, breaking the silence that ensued, "I'd better get back to work on the T-car. Feel better soon Veronica!" He nearly ran out the door. That was fine, I had a few questions for mom.

"Are you feeling the pain?" I shook my head (ouch) and met her gaze. I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself, I needed answers.

"Mom where are we? And who were those people?" Mom's smile faltered for a half-second but returned even bigger.

"We are in a hospital. Is that not obvious?" I stared her down so she knew I wasn't buying that crap. Someone else might not notice it, but this place was much more comfortable than any normal hospital room. She let out a nervous laugh, carefully avoiding my glare. "I must leave now for you to rest."

"Wait. You still haven't answered my second question." I decided to forget the first question, for now. Mom, who had been walking to the door, halted in her tracks and turned back to face me.

"When you are feeling well enough to, please come to join us in the room of living that is down the hall." Her smile was genuine this time. "You may meet my old friends."

"I feel fi-" But I was cut off by the slam of the odd sliding door. Great. Just great. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. While I was knocked out earlier, I hadn't dreamed. It had seemed nice at first but weirdly, I was missing the guy from my nightmare. My breathing relaxed and I slipped into a near coma. But my dream had changed.

I was in the dungeon, but it was brightly lit this time, and I didn't charge at the bars. I laid on the hard stone floor, my hand resting on something comparably soft. I looked over and my eyes met with his steady gaze. His features were twisted in agony, his glasses shattered. He clutched my right hand tightly as if it was his life support. I felt a tear slide gently down my cheek. Somehow I knew, he was dying. I sat up on my elbows and looked down at both of us. We were covered in blood, and it wasn't just his. The arm he held had a long, deep gash. I rested my head against his red stained chest. My best friend was dying, and I hadn't even met him.

"Wake up," He breathed. Like always, I obeyed.

Gasp! I don't even know how I did that last scene (aka: the dream). It was nearly a love scene! Good thing I put the word friend in there. Dramatic ending to the third chapter: accomplished. Please review. ~h2onat


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to Wolfenstien for reviewing! You Rock! Please enjoy chapter 4! Warning: May contain fluff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans…**

I woke with a start and bolted upright, sending waves of pain through my ribcage. Sweat ran down the small of my back and chills ran up my spine. I hadn't had a different dream in years and it freaked me out. At least with my regular dream I knew what would happen! I gently lowered my head onto the pillow but every time I closed my eyes I saw him dying next to me. I raised my right hand, the one he had held, and placed it over my heart. It was warm, like he had actually been holding it. A blush crept to my cheeks and I rolled over (ouch) onto my stomach, embarrassed. Was I really in love with a guy I had dreamed up? I buried my head further into the down and sighed. Possibly maybe? I flipped over and sat up (major ouch). What was I doing? Acting like a wimpy girl with a crush, and the guy wasn't even real! I turned and let my legs dangle off the side of the bed gritting my teeth against the pain (did I mention, OUCH). I planted my feet on the cool tile floor and tried, unsuccessfully, to stand. I crumpled to the floor in agony, my head slamming against the bed frame (OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH!).

The room spun for a moment but I was eventually able to sit up. I blinked a few times and squinted into the suddenly blinding lights. The curtains had been drawn around my bed again and now I was getting the full blast of the incandescent bulbs. I could still make out shapes, however, and in the far corner was a pair of crutches. I crawled across the room, trying not to jostle (yes I said _jostle_) around too much. The pain reliever I had been given, if any, had long worn off. I maneuvered myself up onto the two silver crutches. Okay I can do this. According to what mom said, the living room was just down the hall. All I had to do was… uh, crutch my way there? Of course, first I had to figure out the door. I hobbled over and stood a good two feet from the wall, observing. This would be something to teach in school instead of graphing inequalities. I mean really, when will I ever use that? Finally, I thought I had it. It must have some sort of panel, like an elevator. I stepped forward and nearly had a heart attack. The door slid open. My face immediately went deadpan, but nobody was there, or anywhere near the door. I slapped my forehead (obvious ouch), then quickly re-grappled the crutch. I was an idiot. It was an automatic door!

I rushed forward and found myself at the end of a long hallway with seven doors like the one I just walked out of. (If you can even call it walking with crutches). Every door had a sign, the one to my left read _Cyborg_ in large blue letters. Across from that was Rylie's room, whose sign was made out of little round spheres stuck together. Definitely a choking hazard. **(heh heh)** Farther down were doors for _BB and Rae_ and _Baylee_. The last two doors made my head ache. To my right was a door for _Nightwing and Starfire_. Starfire is mom, Nightwing is… dad? No, no way. I let out a nervous laugh and turned to my left. This one had a sign that was peeling off. A rust encrusted, metal sign that read _Terra_. Whoever that was, it was apparent they hadn't been here in a while. I stared at the sign for a little longer, not wanting to see mom just yet. Nightwing… if he was my father he had a lot of explaining to do. If he wasn't my father then he had even more explaining to do.

Finally I turned towards the last door. It was larger than all the rest and had no sign. The living room. I crutched my way forward and the door slid open revealing… well the living room. The largest freaking living room on this freaking planet. Stairs led down to a kitchen on one side and a dining area on the other and at the end of the room was a half-circle couch surrounding a flat screen TV. Everyone was scattered about the room in a lazy fashion. As the door shut behind me everyone turned to stare. The girl with the green skin was the only face unhappy to see me. I counted. And recounted. There were only seven people and yet eight names. Crap. I maneuvered down the steps and went to sit by mom who was watching Cyborg and Beast Boy play a racing game. All was silent for a moment but eventually conversation started up again. I avoided mom's eyes as I took stock of the room. Baylee was probably the green skinned girl, the little gray skinned boy next to Beast Boy would be Rylie. (Does anyone here have a normal skin color?) A woman with gray skin and short blue hair was drinking tea in the kitchen area. We were both looking in the general direction of each other but our eyes never met. What was with the leotard and cape? Moving on. Only one other person left, a man sitting in the dining area. He wore a black and blue mask with white in the middle… how did he see? His shiny, black hair was cropped short and pointy. As for the rest of the ensemble: Blue and black. Now I was really hoping he wasn't my father. He was typing on a laptop with a smug smile. He had to be Nightwing. So I was right in assuming there was no Terra here any more.

The question still remained: Where am I? I could feel mom's gaze boring a hole into the side of my head. I sighed and turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"You are feeling better Veronica?" She inquired, her voice sickly sweet. I nodded. I wasn't much in the mood for talking. "Funny, we were not expecting you to feel well so soon, if you would like, there is a room for baths you may clean up in."

"Where are we?" I mumbled low enough only she could hear. "Who are these people?" "I will explain to you later. For now just relax." She patted my head like I was a child who needed comfort. I, of course, being overly dramatic, wouldn't stand for it. It was at that second that I finally cracked.

"No, your going to tell me now mom!" In my fury I managed to stand up in front of her. Before falling flat on my butt. Mom knelt down beside me and offered a hand. I glared at it until she dropped it.

"Maybe it's time we tell her, Starfire." I tilted my head to see Nightwing standing behind me. "She has a right to know." Mom sighed and shook her head the way she had… was it just last night? I couldn't of been out for very long.

"Perhaps I have been doing some of the babying." She replied. "We should explain." Mom grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a standing position. That last for about a second. Now I know what your wondering: Why is she having trouble walking? Here's the answer: At least two of my ribs are broken and I have deep lacerations all over my body. Walking would be very painful. Mom did not seem to comprehend this. In the same moment she tried to help me up, I was sprawled out on the floor again. She gasped and got down on her hands and knees.

"Are you injured my daughter?" She said shaking me by my shoulders.

"No, but if you keep doing that I will be!" She stopped and breathed a sigh of relief before turning and offering a piggy back ride. I wrapped my arms around her neck and she grabbed me around the back of the knees. Then she stood and carried me up the stairs and through another door. Which was actually an elevator, unlike the many other doors. Nightwing followed close behind. We were going up and up and up… How big was this place anyway? Finally the elevator stopped and opened up to the most beautiful view of Gotham I have ever seen. The city skyline set against the blue sky, no trace of the tragedies down below. We were on the roof. The city wasn't the only thing you could see either. I realized for the first time that this building was on it's very own island and the water surrounding it, though polluted, was still beautiful. The sun was nearing the edge of the horizon, the place where the water kissed the clouds. I breathed it in, the cool Autumn air, the salty ocean breeze.

Mom set me on a wooden crate near the elevator and went to drag Nightwing out of the shadows to stand in front of me. Oh, this was going to be good. My stomach turned as he set his arm around mom's shoulders.

"Veronica, this is Titan's Tower." He said, as if that cleared everything up. Yeah, never heard of it. "It's the base for the superhero group called the Titans." Didn't ring a bell. "That includes you mother and I, and everyone downstairs." He looked like he was finished but mom elbowed him in the ribs. He mumbled something.

"Is it not wonderful?" Mom said, taking over. "Nightwing is your father and this is our home!" My jaw didn't drop, my eyes didn't pop out, really it made sense. As much as I hate to say it I looked like him. Plus it really didn't surprise me that mom was some kind of superhero, she wasn't exactly normal. Mom explained the planet she was from and her powers. I listened intently, but my mind kept coming back to the same things. A) My parents were superheroes. B) If that was possible, why couldn't my dream be? Looking out at the scenery around me, it was hard not to believe.

Afterwards, mother showed me to one of the bathrooms that was off the living room. I gratefully began to undress, peeling my shirt off… and let out a gasp. The bruise on my cheek had seemingly multiplied all over my body. I turned and looked in the mirror over the sink. Not only was I black and blue but covered in dried blood. I dug in the cabinet and dragged a brushed though my hair, but it was hopeless. The blood had left it in knots and tangles. I was so sick of it! All of it! I pulled out a pair of scissors and aimed them. I was done fooling around.

**Okay so Veronica was a little out of character this time around, but still pretty dramatic. I know what will happen in the long run, but the rest is… improvised? Yeah… R&R! ~h2onat**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hopefully I can get a few more chapters up before school starts! So excited to start high school!**

_I pulled out a pair of scissors and aimed them. I was done fooling around._

The tips separated and closed around their target. One, two, three times. A good four inches of solid black hair fell to the ground and I was left with hair only down to my chin. I snipped some side bangs and smirked. If this superhero thing didn't work out, I could get a job at a salon. I dumped the chopped locks in the trash bin. Then I heard water splatter onto the floor and realized my bath water was overflowing… crap. I'm kinda having an off day. I turned off the water and let some of it drain, watching a mini funnel form. After taking off the rest of my blood stained clothes, I sank into the warm water. I sighed, allowing my head to submerge for a second. My now much shorter hair fluttered around my head, tickling my face. My eyes slid shut, but I was in no trouble of falling asleep. No, mind was too occupied to rest. Behind my eyelids pictures danced. I could see my nameless friend standing over me, smiling. We weren't in the dungeon this time, or trapped and dying. We were on top of the tower, watching the sunset. As incredibly cheesy as that sounds, it was so real to me. I almost forgot where I was, but I wasn't asleep, not by a mile. I opened my eyes and grinned. When had I become so different? When had I started to like the change? I shook my head clear.

I stood up and peeled the shower curtain back. I blinked and picked up a towel someone must have laid out for me. Weird, I didn't hear anyone come in. A set of clothes sat on the counter and as I got out I realized they were my clothes. Mine! My very own acid wash torn boot-cuts and my favorite purple tank top. I dried off and slipped them on. I glanced at the mirror out of the corner of my eye and gasped. All of it, it was gone! There wasn't a single bruise on my body, as though they had simply vanished. My ribs didn't ache anymore. Even the bruise I had from the school jocks was gone…

I stared absent mindedly at my reflected. I felt so different from the way I had the morning before, more alive somehow. And as much as I hate to admit it, I felt… girly. For the first time in years, I smiled without feeling forced.

I walked out a few minutes later, after I had towel dried my hair. I didn't look around or anything, I just went and told my mom I was going on the roof.

I closed my eyes and listened to the rhythmic ding of the elevator as it went up. It slowed to a stop and the door slid open. I blinked as I watched the sky turn pink and red and orange. I went and sat where I had before, laying back to wait for the first stars to appear.

All of a sudden I was snapped out of my docile state, when something in the tower exploded. The ground shook and several crates tumbled to the ground into splinters. I rolled out of the way as one nearly crushed me. I scrambled to the edge of the roof, looking for some sign of life. If it was this strong from up here, whatever exploded was deadly down there, where it originated. The elevator dinged opened behind me and I was grabbed around my waist and turned around, a weapon pressed to my temple. I assumed it was a gun, but with all the things that had happened recently, I couldn't be sure.

Chasing after the guy was dad and mom and everyone else.

"Don't move or the girl gets it." Yelled the villain.

"Why are you here? What is your plan, RedX?" Nightwing growled.

"You'll see, I've said it before Robin," Dad glared, or I think he did it's hard to tell with the mask. "Oops, I mean,_ Nightwing,_ I don't take sides, I'm just a simple thief. You may have stopped me from getting what I really wanted but for now I'll just take _her._"

"Mom please don't ground me for swearing." I said smiling. I wrapped my arm around his and threw him down to the ground saying: "$&^% you! I'm no ones prisoner!"

"Definitely your daughter all right." Said the jerk who was somehow still conscious. Everyone ran forward to attack him but he was quicker. He jumped up from the ground and charged at me. Before I could blink he was pulling me over the edge of the roof and we were freefalling, the wind tearing at my skin. Great. I'm going to freaking die because this moron forgot that we were on top of a building a million stories high! His arm shot out and a grappling hook shot out and latched onto part of said building, slowing our descent. He swung us back and forth then released the grapple letting us fall onto a water scooter. We sped away towards the mainland. Yeah, this sucks.

**Sorry It's such a short chapter but it's something! The move Veronica used is from Judo it's called Epon seonage. (I don't think this is how you spell it though). TY for reading now all you have to do is review! I take anonymous reviews! Just press that button down there and tell me what you thought! PLEASE? ~h2onat**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I haven't updated my computer broke (again). TY to YourMooseyFate and Wolfenstein for reviewing. If you want your name up here just review! Enjoy!**

I opened my eyes to a darkly lit room, except I knew it wasn't a room. I had been here before, many times. In my dream. This time it wasn't a dream, I didn't automatically stand up and charge at the metal bars I knew were at the end of the room. I sat and stared at the damp, dark dungeon around me. I could feel it, deep down in my bones and in my core, I was alone. Despairing in my own little fantasy world/nightmare come true. I closed my eyes and tried to recall the moments after the freefall and had a hazy recollection of a sweet smelling cloth being pressed against my mouth. Chloroform. Okay so this guy wasn't going to beat me to death but seriously, chloroform is toxic. I could get cardiac arrhythmia! Not that I really know what that is but I read it on the internet so it must be true! I stood up and walked towards the other end, where the bars were. It was strange, like I knew that I should be doing what my dream showed. I should be running like an idiot trying to break down the metal bars with my shoulder right now, and yet I felt as though something about the demeanor of this place had changed. Every step I took echoed off the walls and a small draft from somewhere leaked in and chilled me down to my bones. Just the thick, humid air around here was enough to make me feel like I was choking. I closed my eyes and went to my happy place. Or my slightly less depressing place. Whatever you want to call it, but I couldn't seem to get him out of my mind. The guy, why wasn't he here? Was here even the same place as my dream? If this was the same place, was that confirmation that the guy was real. I frowned in my head, I wish I could use his name. If only I kne- My eyes tore open as I collided face first with the metal bars. OW! I muttered some things my mother would have definitely grounded me for. I had been walking without thinking and kind of forgot where I was. I rubbed the forming bruise and blinked away tears. I would have to start counting how many injuries I was getting, I might be able to sue someone at some point. I gripped a pole with my hand and glared forward at the area outside my cell. It was much smaller than the space I had, three times smaller! There wasn't a staircase or even a door. How is this possible? There was a small barred window set high up on the wall, and a cot in the corner. It was then that I noticed who was lounging in said cot.

"Hey sleeping beauty!" He called looking up from a novel, a smirk on his face. "How was your nap?" I stared at him, astonished at his light, airy attitude. It was definitely him but he seemed different. He wasn't the same person. That is, he looked like him but he didn't feel like him. He got up and I once again realized how much taller he was than me. "Your still so small. I like your hair though, it's really cute."

He slipped his hand through the bars and rested it on my head. I gasped as visions flashed through my eyes. It was all I could see, all I could hear. Voices, and screaming, there was a lot of screaming. I closed my eyes but it wouldn't end. There were people everywhere, dying. It was immeasurably terrifying. Then, all at once, it faded to black, leaving me collapsed on the ground and shaking. I willed my eyes open, my breathing reaching it's peak. Little squeaks leaked through my lips as I gasped for air. Freaking asthma, freaking dumb asthma! I sat up on my elbow as my vision cleared enough to see his face. I was crying. This felt kind of familiar.

"What are you?" I whispered in my dramatic way, my voice wavering. "Why are you keeping me here?"

"My name is Nick and I'm not the one keeping you here, my dad is." He crouched down and stared into my eyes, all traces of humor gone. "Besides, I'm the one behind bars not you." I pondered that for a second. It made some sense, but why would a father lock up his own son? I had just met my old man not so long ago. Of course, it's kind of hard to keep track of time down here in the dark so it could be midnight for all I know. I could be dead for all I know! No, I'm not very optimistic but even I can't believe that the afterlife would suck this bad.

"I didn't ask for your name." I hinted. He quirked an eyebrow of incomprehension. "It's you who's been sending those visions to me, isn't it." He nodded guiltily. "So why did you? Did you expect me to come and save you or something? I have to say, from this angle, you don't look much like a good guy."

"Yeah, I suppose I don't." He thought for a second before continuing. "I'm not so sure I am the good guy, but I don't want to be the bad guy. I also never expected you to save me. I still don't."

"So what your saying is that you can't do the cheesy laugh?" He rolled his eyes, the smile returning.

"Let's just say we're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy." He reached up to brush some hair out of my eye but let his hand fall to his side.

"What do you mean by that?" I said, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Jump city isn't nearly as forgiving as Gothom. The lines here are a lot more blurred." I gave him the same blank stare I give my Algebra teacher. He sighed. "I feel like I'm explaining to a two year old! Okay, slowly this time. This is Jump city, not Gothom. Gothom is, what, an hour away? There are lots of bad people in this city, like my dad and Slade. Not everyone is a superhero, a villain, or a victim. I am neutral."

"Okay two questions. Who is Slade? And are you about to make a cheesy Twilight reference?"

"I don't care who's a vampire and who's a werewolf. I am SWITZERLAND!" He said dramatically.

"Bella would be proud." He rolled his eyes again. This was going to be a long night for both of us.

**High school is LOOOOONG! That chapter was SHOOOOORT! Really obvious Twilight reference. I TAKE ANONYMOS REVIEWS!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Dear gosh my last chapter seems dumb. Especially the Twilight references. It was mostly just a fluff chapter. Hope you like this one better!**

We stayed up all night talking. Or maybe it was day, I wasn't really sure. The conversation was only skin deep though, because every time I tried to ask him anything that really mattered he changed the subject.

I sighed internally and looked back at his sleeping form. His face pressed against the metal bars, his glasses askew. He seemed so small, even though he was probably around 5' 7" or so. I had been doing a lot of sleeping lately so I wasn't tired. I leaned against the wall, staring around the dungeon. There wasn't much to see, the only light came from above Nick's bed, and it was barely enough to read by. Down here in the stillness, the fear that had been lurking in the back of my mind came forward, dominating me. My heart sped up and soon I could feel the blood pulsating through my body, making me shake. It was the strangest most indescribable feeling. I crossed my arms, my nails digging into the skin of my upper arms. I felt sick and alone. I closed my eyes and thought of mom. Even Nightwing, whom I had just met, was a comforting thought. My breathes were short and uneven, but I was breathing again. I needed to calm down, I was having a panic attack. I looked back at Nick to make sure he was still asleep, then slowly moved a hand to grip a metal bar. I was used to being upset, used to this aching, sick feeling. Except this wasn't my room and I wasn't crying into my pillow. I wasn't alone. I suddenly got goosebumps all over my body. Someone else was here, someone I had been to upset to sense until a few seconds ago.

Nick stirred in his sleep. He had woken up, probably because he recognized the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Now I was on alert. I peeled away from the wall scanning the surroundings, but there was nothing.

"Veronica," Nick grumbled groggily, "don't try to fight him and don't believe what he says." He blinked and adjusted his glasses. "Don't ever come back here. Take any chance you get." I stared at him in horror. Then I heard him speak again, in my head this time. _"Do you understand?"_ I hesitated but nodded. _"I won't leave you, if you need help don't hesitate to ask."_

Just then someone grabbed me from behind, wrapping one hand around my waist and the other around my mouth. Why they wanted me silent, I wasn't sure. I was just able to catch a last glimpse at Nick before I was forced to walk in the other direction. He was gripping the metal bars, his entire body tense. Even though his head was down I thought I could see a tear falling to the floor. Or maybe it was a trick of the light. After all, I only knew him in my dreams.

I was lead down that same narrow hallway, the one I had once thought was the prison itself. My old sneakers shuffled against the floor, because the man holding me walked faster than I did at school. I stumbled along like that for what seemed like forever. I wish it was longer. I knew that as soon as I came up out of the peaceful dark, I'd… die? That seemed melodramatic. I was a hostage, right? You don't kill hostages, right? Whatever, I'm still going to say die. Finally, we came to… wait that's a wall. That's a freaking wall! Is this a joke? Seriously? Is this a- oh. I glared forward as the wall parted down the middle, both sides sliding away. What is with these people? Why can't they just open a door normally or at least make it look like a door. What do they have against door knobs? We stepped through the 'door' and into a stairwell. Only one thing made sense: there was a staircase in the stairwell. A spiral staircase. The room itself was strange. Big gray bricks were stacked starting from the ground and reaching up towards the fifty foot ceiling. In a circle. It was a round room with a corkscrew staircase and… medieval crap hanging off the walls. Who is dumb enough to hang weapons on the wall outside a prison? Of course, this man locked up his own son, so he might be insane. There still must be a reason Nick is down there. It's not like he's being tortured, he has a ton of books and a bed, all the necessities. I don't think he's malnourished either. So why lock him up? He seems to have it better than I do!

I returned to the present as we reached the top of the staircase, pushing my thoughts back into the depths my mind. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. If Nick could read minds, what could his father do? The fear nibbled on the fringes of my sanity. The large wooden door opened to reveal… what appeared to be a regular hallway. In a regular house. Which was probably in a regular neighborhood. Okay, so this guy has a enormous dungeon in his freaking basement, where he keeps his son, with all this extremely eccentric crap hanging on the walls and then you go upstairs and find all this plush carpet and hard wood floors. Yep, this guy had mental health issues.

I was led, pushed really, to the second of five doors, which was open. It was a study and can you guess who was sitting at the large oak desk? Hint: Not Dr. Seuss. The guy (let's call him Guy okay) shoved me into the small room. I stumbled forward, tripping over my feet. Luckily, I caught myself on the edge of the desk. Unluckily, I caught myself with my face. Cause I so needed to add another bruise to my collection. _Although the others healed._ I allowed myself to ponder that phenomenon for a moment. Then I thought about that last sentence and decided I had endured too many blows to the head. Ah yes, back to reality, or what it had become.

Redirecting my attention to the man in front of me, I straightened my back in an attempt at looking intimidating. Unlike the Titans, this man didn't wear his costume all the time. Instead he wore a European three piece suit. I only knew it's origins because of the fancy stitching and designs. Plus it was in a magazine I saw this one time. At this place. Yeah, good times… His peppered hair was trimmed short, revealing his black eyes and a long pink scar that trailed from the corner of his mouth down to his chin. My eyes lingered there for a moment. He noticed my stare.

"Ah yes, that is from your father." He said in his clear, deep voice. "For some reason it just didn't heal properly." I kept quiet, my expression never wavering. I had been playing this game for far too long to be beaten by some insane thief. I'd done this every day of my nightmarish life and no way was I going to show my fear to him. Okay, so I was kind of shaking. I had never met another human being who could avoid injury when I did my Epon.* One of the few things I was good at was Judo and that was my best throw! Inhuman, I thought, remembering the way he had dared to leap from the top of Titan's Tower. I knew I was just soothing myself, trying to rationalize the fact of me being beaten. Something inside my brain clicked at that moment, with an almost audible sound, but I was too enraged to realize it. All I wanted in that second was to reached forward and kill him. I chuckled out loud, a deep, evil sound. I had never despised anyone so much in my entire life. Now I was shaking with anger. While having my little epiphany, Nick's father had simply sat and studied me.

"So you seem to take after your old man, at least in fighting style." he remarked absently, only moderately interested. If you haven't already realized yet, I'm extremely paranoid. Not so much in the whole 'everything is a conspiracy' way, more like 'there's no such thing as small talk' way. Everything this guy and I said to each other was going to be used at some point. I shouldn't disregard any information as useless. A war of words.

"Maybe a little, but I take more after my mom." His eyes widened. Meanwhile, I had no idea what I was talking about, but it seemed to be working. He was afraid. To be a superhero, she had to be able to do something, right? Nightwing didn't seem to have a very frightening affect on him… What could he do? I really only knew what Beast Boy and Cyborg could do. His face returned to normal, as though he could see my bluff. It was his poker face.

" Why were you at the Tower anyway?" I inquired, not missing a beat. His face didn't change this time, but I knew how I could break him.

"There is something of interest there." He shrugged, his eyes wandering to a picture frame on his desk. "It belonged to a Titan at one point, and I have reason to believe it would… You have met my son?" I nodded. " I wish he didn't need to be locked up down there, but he insists on it." I froze, my breath caught in my throat. What? "Anyway I have business to attend to so Zaroff*, would you please escort this young lady downstairs?"

The man from before wrapped his gorilla hand around my upper arm, forcing me to turn to the door.

"Wait." I said, courage leaping into my voice. "I have one more question." Zaroff stopped. Red X's curiosity was nearly tangible. "Why is Nick locked up down there?" I turned my head in time to see him smirk.

"On second thought, take her to the guest room." with that the subject was closed and I was 'escorted' to the guest room.

*Epon refers to the throw that she used in a previous chapter

*Zaroff is the name of a murderer in 'The Most Dangerous Game' It's a classic and really good!

**Well? Good? Awful? I think it was surprisingly well written for my work. Tell you a secret: I'm working on another story, but I want to finish it before I start putting it up. It's a Princess Tutu fanfic, but I thought you might possibly be interested.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8! YAYZ! Yeah.. So high school is hard, and for once in my life I actually have to study and do work outside the class. This is my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Don't be surprised if quality is poorer, I'm feeling really weird lately.**

**Disclaimer: I should put this in more often. Enjoy.**

All I have to say right now is that if he let's his regular guests stay here, he's probably not that popular. Okay, so that's not all I have to say but for now let's pretend it is because the others things I want to say might not be appropriate for small children. **(Veronica has been trained not to cuss, mostly by her teachers since her mom doesn't know what cussing is)** Rubbing my bruised forehead, I sat on the small cot and was almost surprised when the entire thing collapsed in on itself. Yep, that's about as high quality as I can expect. I shoved the pile of metal and canvas off to the side and stood up, swatting away the dust motes that lingered in the air. A summation of these lovely sleeping quarters would run along the lines of broom closet or maybe even pantry or cupboard. It was better than the concentration camp they ran downstairs, but it was no suite. I could get to the other wall in three steps, about a 4'x 6'. The ceiling was slanted, evidently because of some kind of staircase. Other than the remains of the cot, there as nothing. Actually, I prefer the dungeon. Zaroff brings in food periodically, and when I need to use the bathroom, he leads me there. He doesn't need to handcuff or chain me, he's a big fellow that could squash me like a bug.

I think back to what Nick said before, and it seems more and more suspicious. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, we've been friends forever… no, for one day. I had to stop judging people on what I imagine them to be. On that note, why didn't they just throw me in here in the first place? Why was Nick locked up, and what was his dad talking about? _I can tell you…_ said my conscience. Or whatever voice was inside my head. I laid my forehead against the wall, trying to calm down. _Starfire is coming, Starfire is coming…_ Rationalized the voice. I blinked at my mom's little nickname. Why was my conscience calling mom that? Not my conscience, it was to loud to be a voice of reason. It was like someone had turned on a speaker in my head then, and the voice became more clear and concise. _I'll tell you the whole story now…_ Said Nick. He had done this downstairs too, talking in my head. My back against the wall, I slid down to the floor, shaking with mental exhaustion.

"I think my dad wanted you to meet me." His voice rang as perfectly as if he were there. "Maybe so you would help him, so he could use you."

"Why me? I can't do anything." I answered aloud.

"He knows you don't have powers, but you can get into the Tower, where as he can't." I pondered that for a second. How did he know I didn't have powers? "The more questions I answer, the more you'll want to ask." I nodded, hoping he could see. Nick sighed and I could sense him rub his temples, deep in thought. "I should start with what you need to know, but how to explain it…" He sat on his own cot, shoving a book off to make room. The longer this went on the more I saw of him. I closed my eyes, immersed in his presence.

"Powers may be a good start." I suggested.

"Okay, so my father is clairvoyant." I was drawing a blank, out of all the things I was bad at, vocabulary was the worst. "Psychic." Oh… "I'm also psychic but more so than him." I nodded, then froze in realization.

"So when I was lying back there…" My stomach tightened. "He knew it." I sensed Nick's weak smile as he pushed his glasses up. "How can you be _more_ psychic?"

"I guess it isn't really the same thing, I'm more… into people's lives." He seemed to struggle with something before continuing. "Those dreams, for instance, wouldn't necessarily be within his power. Or the healing…"

"Wait, that was _you_?" I half yelled, referring to the healing. His control slipped and a smirk spread across his lips. His laugh rumbled deep in his chest. I liked his laugh, it was comforting. "You laugh, but I thought maybe I might actually have some kind of powers… By the way, what powers should I have?"

"Should? I don't know if I even want _my_ powers, and you want to know what powers you "should" have?" I listened patiently to his ranting, knowing he had to answer my question. I was locked in a closet, he couldn't beat around the bush anymore. He seemed to realize this and the smile slipped from his face. "I can't tell the future…" He must have been able to see me too because he stopped and shook his head. "That is, it isn't always the future, but an alternate one. The ones I showed you were the most plausible."

"That's still telling the future, Nick." He ran his fingers through his hair and I wondered if it was a nervous habit.

"Maybe, but I would rather not call it that, all the things I see might happen, or none of them might happen. Plus, all my life I've only seen the events of the next couple days. It changes, but not by much."

"Like a prophecy, right?" I gasped in realization. "That's why your dad wants to use you!" I yelled.

"You just now realized th-" He was cut off by pounding footsteps. For all of you who have been wondering why no one heard me speaking out loud to myself, the answer is that they did hear me, and they just now decided to investigate. I don't blame them, if I wasn't me I would think I was insane too! I felt his presence fade substantially. I hugged myself, like I could grasp it and make it stay. "_Don't tell him anything about the Tower, don't even think about it!"___He left me completely and I slumped over, my head between my knees. I breathing a little roughly, I had been so enveloped in his mind… I was shaking. The door opened, and a heavy- footed man stepped inside.

"Hey Zaroff," I breathed through my teeth. My head flopped back so I was looking up at him and I smiled, causing my lip to split. "Something wrong buddy?" Blood trickled down my chin lazily. Is it too much to ask for some chap stick around here? I saw the ghost of a grin on Zaroff's face, an almost friendly look. "So what's in store for me now?"

**WOOT! Finally finished with this chapter. I'm so over this chapter. End of the quarter almost killed me but I survived (got all A's too!) I'm not bragging just telling. How come no one ever reviews anymore? Please review, even non-members can review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**For the record, I have no idea what's going to happen next in this story, I'm just winging it. The characters are talking inside my head. The voices tell me it's perfectly normal to talk to yourself.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Speaking to someone through your mind is really tiring. That might have something to do with why Zaroff carried me fireman style to the office. I also couldn't really hold my head up and my lip was still bleeding profusely when we got there. He set me down gently, although he could have just as easily thrown me against the wall, and when I turned around I was once again face to face with Nick's father. I batted my eyelashes and gave my best impression of a blonde, acting innocent. However, I knew as well as he did that neither would ever believe the other was anything close to innocent. (Reread that sentence and try to tell me I'm not insane.) I think I came pretty close to making him laugh though and, although this wasn't my goal, I think anyone else might have been fooled. I can be convincing at times.

** "**So you have been speaking with my son, have you?" He said, faking a smile. "I hope that he is well, I am so busy with work, I do not see him to much."

"Speaking?" I mumbled, still drowsy. "How could I have spoken to him when we were in different rooms?" I attempted to sweep a lock of hair out of my face, but it dragged a smear of blood from my lip and across my cheek. I was reminded of how exhausted I was and leaned back against the wall.

"Do not toy with me child, I do not have patience for such things." For the first time, yes I'm that slow, I noticed how weird his way of speaking was. It was an older, more formal speech, with the slightest hint of an accent. He rambled on, and I continued to ignore him. I finally snapped out of it when my mother's name was mentioned. "…and if you think I really believed for more than a second that crap(we'll pretend he said crap) about your mother your dead wrong."

"I'm sorry, what about my mother?" I retorted in a bored tone. I felt my heart drop to my stomach. Whatever hope I had had until now was slowly draining away like the blood from my face.

"You have no powers, your useless, just like your father was." He smiled in confidence, perhaps hoping I would give up in light of my situation. Maybe he thought I would be insulted by this comment about Nightwing, but honestly, I couldn't care less. I had been raised to feel nothing when it came right down to it. Well, raised as in not cared for in any real way. Mom wasn't real big on the whole lovey-dovey family ideal. Besides, who really cared about the father that had abandoned me so long ago, when I was an infant? The man who allowed my mother, bless her broken heart, to raise me alone. He must have known I was sneaking out, otherwise Cyborg and Beast Boy wouldn't have been there that night. He must have known and possibly witnessed my coming home everyday covered in bruises and bleeding all over. All this aside, he seemed nice. That didn't make up for anything. I glared this man, Red-X, in the eye and struggled to keep my thoughts suppressed. I felt a numbness spread through the front of my head, groping around inside my skull. He was in there all right. Now that I focused, I could feel his presence stretching across the room, but it wasn't some super power that allowed me to see it. The long thin line of mist would be visible to anyone with twenty-twenty vision and enough sense to look for it. A chill ran up my spine as my brain was engulfed in the prickly sensation. He dug deeper and deeper until I had to grip the edge of his desk to stay some-what upright. It was no good, my knees buckled under me (not surprising in my weakened state) and I collapsed onto the thick carpeting. Clinging to consciousness with my last bit of energy I was only relieved when my mind went still. Not because I had collapsed, but because he had what he wanted. I felt tears press against my eyelids and blinked to release them. There was no point in being brave now, I had already lost. With my last sensible thoughts I formed the word I'd once promised myself I wouldn't say. _Help… Nick help… I'm sorry… _I was cut off by a sudden crashing sound. I briefly pondered why all loud noises were followed by darkness. Then, a pair of Nikes moved into my line of vision. Nick's voice thundered through me in an impossibly loud mumble, and with that I was out. Once again unconscious. Once again the damsel in distress. Headaches are more painful when they're caused by mind readers. Just so you know.

Waking up at the beginning of the apocalypse would be less chaotic then what happened to me. Almost makes me wish the world _was_ ending. Except it wasn't, and I was awakened some several minutes later by noises louder than the initial crash. Much louder. Did I mention I have a headache? It's a migraine now. So I was still on the floor and although I really wanted to go back to sleep, I managed to get into a sitting position. It didn't seem wise to take a nap during what appeared to be an epic battle. I say epic not because it was in any way cool or, dare I say, fun, but because there was a lot of flashing lights and martial arts and stuff like that.

My first view was of Nick fending off my mother, who obviously didn't know he was on our side. She came at him, her fists and eyes glowing an eerie green. Nick ducked and dodged around the spiraling disks of light flying at him. Mom was flying as well. No, seriously, flying. As in she was moving around without touching the ground. Nick seemed to be trying to persuade her of his innocence, but my mother was never much of a listener. Raven and Beast Boy were up against Zaroff who seemed only capable of brute strength. This hadn't stopped him from knocking their two children out. These two lay alongside me in the corner of the destroyed office. Nightwing was whipping out a massive display of martial arts on Nick's dad, who in answer, did the same. As for Cyborg, who knows, maybe he was running around searching the place. _Or protecting something…_ I tried not to act to shocked as Nick's calming presence filled my mind. I failed when I saw Nick pause just long enough for my mom to get a head shot in.

Nick went flying into the crumbling wall I leaned against. Hard enough to shake the foundation of the house, check. Hard enough to kill the superhuman, of course not. Nothing is allowed to make that much sense apparently. He lifted his hand up to hold his head and groaned as mom floated forward to deliver the final blow. I threw my arms around him, around a stranger, around a friend, around a guy I was possibly in love with. Whatever, call him anything, but I wasn't going to let him die. Mom was the one to pause this time, then to stop altogether. The glowing flickered and faded, she dropped her hand.

"Why do you stop me from destroying the one who hurt you?" She asked, her eyes flickering back and forth between us.

"Your wrong, Nick never hurt me." I said in a voice stronger than I felt. Mother, in that endearing way she was, gave him one last glare before flying off to help Nightwing. Nick attempted to get up but I held tight to him. He soon wrapped his arms around me, lifting me into his lap. I searched his eyes for some answers, but he either couldn't see me looking at him (his glasses were missing) or didn't want to tell me. His hand brushed away a tear I don't remember shedding, before leaning in close. His breathe licked at my face, giving me goosebumps and making me shiver. After what seemed like an eternity, he pressed his lips to mine. At first, his kiss was gentle, comforting and teasing at the same time, then his breathing became rougher, his lips fiercer and stronger. As cliché as it is, I forgot where we were, forgot there was a battle going on around us, and became deaf and blind to everything that wasn't Nick. Nick who was my best friend, Nick who I was in love with, and Nick who was my entire world. The moment didn't last, all to soon, he ended the kiss, leaving me one last melancholy smooch on the cheek. He stood and walked away. Where he went, I have no idea. I wasn't going to watch him leave. I would savor the moment he had left me with, and pretend he was still with me.

The battle ended. We won. Big whoop. Nick's father was taken away in handcuffs, cursing and screaming as his neighbors looked on in shock. I watched the police car take him away, not feeling an ounce of relief. After this I went back to stand in the rubble of the war zone, hoping, no, praying, that he would be standing there waiting for me. I'm sure you're all thinking, 'of course he will, he has to!' but really he doesn't, and he wasn't. The only evidence that he had ever existed was the pair of glasses I found among the mess. A lumped of twisted metal and broken glass. Oh, of course there was the pile of books buried in the dungeon, but I could convince myself that those had been for Zaroff's reading pleasure. In the end I could totally forget about Nick. That's not the way the world works.

**Sorry this took forever to put up but with all the holidays and birthdays, I just couldn't keep up. And school… I hate school. What do you think of the kiss scene? Pretty good for someone who's never been kissed, I think. If you disagree comment now or forever hold your peace. Flames accepted. Just comment. Now. I know your out there, I will find you! This is not the last chapter, even though it sounds like it. I'm just getting started. Have a nice day, after you comment.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, I'm doing this so I don't have to do my homework… Don't lecture me, I'm the master procrastinator! Who's having a really bad hair day… and skin day… so I went and sat in dark theatre for almost 2 hours. Enough of my rambling, on to the show!**

**Disclaimer: Ha! I remembered! And you thought I wouldn't. XD I don't own Teen Titans, not that it will stop me from writing.**

I was sitting in the… living room? That room in the Titan's Tower with the couch, that's also connected to the kitchen and dining room. Yeah… that room. Anyway they were questioning me and I think I was answering. I was kind of out of it, you know? How many times had I passed out that day? Wow, what day was it? All I really remember is nodding and shaking my head to questions that probably weren't yes or no. I just can't believe he left me. I can't believe he kissed me… then left me. If I ever see him again… let's just say he wouldn't be able to have kids. Ever.

After maybe a few hours of questioning the Titans stopped to have a conference and mom decided to show me my new room. By show, I mean that she dragged her half-conscious daughter across the floor. I kind of hope I didn't ruin their carpet, I might actually have to live here. She stood me in front of one of their stupid knobless doors (one I'd not noticed before) and presented it to me like someone from a game show.

"Ta-da! Your new accommodations!" She yelled in her cheerful voice. I daringly stepped forward to receive my punishment. Oh, I don't mean the room. I mean having to act all happy and thankful when I really just want the heck out of this place. The door slid open in its way too high-tech manner and my eyes widened. Just a bit, but just enough. Mom noticed. "You love it!" She gasped, sweeping me into a rib crushing hug.

The room was big, bigger than the one at home. The walls and ceiling were a mirror of the now darkening sky. There were even stars. The carpet was a sandy color, and extremely soft to the touch. In the center of the room was a larger circular bed with plain navy sheets. The rest of the furniture was large and dark… and perfect. Of course, I would need a few days to get some clothes thrown all over the floor and the bed, but it was nice. By now mom had released me and was waiting for me to say something, probably so she could talk more. "I love it!" I said with a big cheesy grin. Mom's face lit up, which almost made straining my facial muscles worth it.

"I am so full of joy that you are home safely!" She squealed, tackling me again. Then started this whole one-sided conversation about the guys installing the new carpet and how messy and loud they had been. Put this endless ramble alongside my mother's awful accent (that's all I can describe it as) and within a minute my head was on the verge of exploding. Honestly, I love my mother, I really do, but I'm a teenager who just went through an extremely traumatic experience and I want to be left alone. Plus I just got back from being a hostage in some wierdo's house of horrors. What, you thought that was the traumatizing experience? It wasn't. My life has always been painful and weird. Maybe not that weird, but pretty odd. Besides, you're talking to the girl who had no experience with the opposite sex until today, and it ended with the worst outcome possible. I'm sorry starving children in Africa, but I just had my heart stolen and shattered, right before my eyes. I'll donate cans of almost expired soup next week like everyone else. Mom eventually left with the words, "I will allow you to unpack and rest from your day." Whatever that means.

It's not like I had any luggage, since I hadn't in my wildest dreams thought we would be moving in with a bunch of superheroes. On second thought change that to 'my worst nightmares.' That has a much better ring to it. I knew they weren't bad people, but they were kind of too good. I mean, did they expect me to grow up to be a model citizen when I grew up? Or worse, a superhero myself? No, I couldn't do either. Sorry Mom and Nightwing, when I grow up I want to go to jail where they give you three square meals a day for committing a crime. **(I take no responsibility for the offensive things my characters say, I've been told prison isn't fun, so don't think it's cool to go there.)** Seriously, if they expect anything out of me, they'll be very disappointed. I went and laid in my bed, my eyes slipping shut, and my breathing easing into a light snore… Okay if you believed that then you totally deserve this: THAT WAS A LIE! MWAHAHAHA! Okay psycho moment over. Another lie, I don't have moments, I'm just plain insane. What I really should say is that I tried to sleep, to lapse into dreamland where Nick was still around and we were together. I really tried, okay? It's just that I knew the moment I closed my eyes I would either see Nick behind bars or bleeding on the ground. Both options sucked, so I stared up the starry ceiling and let my body rest while my mind wandered.

Why had Nick been behind bars? Did he really choose to be that way? What was the thing his father needed? Where was Nick anyway? Would I see him again? Does he love me? Will anyone ever comment on this story again? **(Really, show some love)** How am I related to this anyway? Am I really the main character? How many rhetorical questions can I ask before you stop reading? I'd guess about that many. I'm not counting them, okay? I don't feel like it. Wait, I didn't put a plot device in there did I? Gosh I hope not.

My little rant fest over, I determined it was late enough that nobody would be up to notice me and decided to take a walk. Not outside. I don't want to deal with that many freaking doors. Bedroom door, elevator door, front door… All were opened differently. Did I mention I hate doors? I think I've developed a rational fear of them. Before it was strictly irrational. Instead, I hopped out of bed ventured to the closet I had spotted before. Opening that closet door (It was a simple manual sliding door.) brightened my day by that much. If you could see my fingers you'd see that they are very close together. At first I was just relieved that they had taken the time to drop by the house and grab my clothes. Then, I realized that these weren't my clothes, this was a brand new wardrobe of pure awesome. Dark, grey, and acid wash skinny jeans with holes pre-ripped. Vintage band and soda brand t-shirts in red, dark blue, grey and black. It was any teenagers dream closet. Except those girls that carry around those designer purses you could fit a body inside. They would hate this. I even spotted an assortment of high-tops in the back. After, admiring it all for a moment I refocused on my mission. I grabbed some acid wash jeans and a black long sleeve shirt, changed, and was on my way. I snuck out of my room in the most paranoid way, but these guys had been watching me sneak out of my house for a while now and I'm just that kind of person. As I continued, my body eased and fell into a gentle rhythm. Still paranoid, just less so. As you may have guessed, I love being out at night. It's just so peaceful and quiet and there's no sun to blind you when you look up at the sky.

I met with that sky a few minutes later, when I reached the roof. Last time I had been there I was kidnapped, but that didn't scare me. No, what scared me was being alone up here. It was fear of the unknown, not of the past. Wow, I get really weird at night… Darkness messes with my mind. I went to the edge and sat with my legs hanging into open space and tilted my head back to look at the sky. _I'm not afraid._ I realized, _It's different now._ Maybe I was still woozy from my first kiss, or perhaps what had happened these past couple days made me see the bigger things in life… I had you going there didn't I? No, I'm still worried about going back home and living my nightmare. I'll say it again: I'm scared of the unknown. That includes not knowing where Nick is, not knowing his past, and not knowing his phone number. Love shouldn't be this dang frightening. So anyway, back to not-so-normal world.

I was sitting there ranting inside my head and looking for constellations like a good little girl when he snuck up behind me. No, it wasn't Nick. Give up on him coming back, okay? The person who ran up behind me and started tickling me like crazy was, in fact, Nightwing. Who gave him authorization to touch me? That's what I wanted to know. I flipped out, nearly falling to my death, but just barely caught myself before plunging headfirst towards the rocky beach. I turned and glared at his chuckling figure, my dislike of people firing up. Yes, I don't like people. People beat you up, people give you bad grades, and people ground you for getting bad grades.

In my defense, I tried to act civilized. To forgive, shrug it off, and laugh with him. I didn't try too hard. Humans are virtually the same as alarm clocks. They're loud, annoying, and too bright, but you can turn off an alarm clock. My trick to get both people and alarm clocks to shut up: if you throw them around long enough, they stop. Now, I'm not strong, but for Epon you don't have to be. I pulled Nightwing forward and brought my arm up and around his. He went up and over and came crashing down. On his feet. Oh great he's a ninja. How do I compete with that?

By now he had stopped laughing and just looked at me. I think he was looking at me anyway, it's hard to tell with the mask. "Your mother was right, you are quite talented," he said with a smirk, "but I wonder if you really take after me… You seem kind of weak." I felt my body tense, and my teeth clench. I wasn't sure what I was mad about exactly. It was either that he had the audacity to believe for a second that I was anything like him or that he had called me weak. At the moment it was probably the weak part. I charged him, my legs propelling me forward on pure adrenaline. I attacked him with every move I had learned, from the simple foot sweeps to more advanced throws to the front. It was nothing to him. His movements were quick and deliberate, as he evaded even the strongest of throws. Despite how little his feet seemed to touch the ground, he never lost his balance and never once showed any effort. After about half a minute of this, I stood up panting as the cool night air froze my lungs. Remember that whole asthma thing? Yeah, it hurt to breath after something like that, and then to add to my humiliation, I even started wheezing. Nightwing stood staring off at the city, not showing a bit of fatigue. Jerk. It was a couple minutes before my breathing was under control, and double that for my heart. He was smart enough not to try and help me, which would have been insulting in my mind.

"When you were born I had hopes of you being like your mother, but not only do not have any powers, you even look like me." He said without moving his gaze from Jump city. If I hadn't been so tired I might have been angry again, but I simply took a seat and looked at the sky again.

"On what planet does having the same hair color as someone mean that you look like them?" I asked in an ornery way. Truthfully, I know I look like him, and I would rather look like him than my alien mother, but it just didn't seem right. He chuckled, and mumbled something under his breath. I took this opportunity to ask the biggest question I could think of in the most uncaring voice I could manage. "Why did you leave anyway? You really made my mom sad." I put emphasis on the 'my' since she definitely didn't belong to him in anyway anymore.

"I didn't want you two getting in the way of my work. I didn't need either of you being used against me, like the other day. Besides, your mother and I felt that you deserved a normal childhood." I cringed at 'your mother and I.' That's what a man says to their stepdaughter, not their flesh and blood.

"I'm not a child." Was my brilliant retort. What he was saying made sense, which only made me madder. There might have been a family resemblance, but our characters were different. He solved his problem by dropping his kid and his wife off in the next town over and then disappearing off the face of the Earth. I, on the other hand, learned judo in order to combat the bullying, and snuck out at night to avoid drug temptations. Hey, it made sense at the time.

"I'm happy that you've come back home though, and your old enough to defend yourself." He said glancing my way with a grin.

"You act like I left of my own free will." I stood and headed for the elevator, jamming the buttons to speed up the opening of the doors.

"Wait." I froze in curiosity. What more could he say? "It would be nice if you… just if you wanted to… call me dad." I turned, confusion on my face. Was that why he was up here? What was with the stuttering?

"I'll think about it." I mumbled, too unsure to give a definitive answer. I stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut. I had made it this far without a father, did I really want one now? I shook my head as the elevator approached my floor. That wasn't the right question, he was my father whether I wanted him to be or not. Did I really want a dad?

I walked down the hall towards my bedroom, my mind jumbled. I turned and ran headlong into the hard metal of my bedroom door. As my head throbbed, I caught a glimpse of some staining behind the letters of my name, just before the delayed thing slid open. Now I looked into the room with a renewed sense of amazement as a realization struck me harder than the door had. Still stunned, I didn't even bother to change, but curled into my covers fully dressed. It all clicked in my head. I had seen that door, and noticed the room before. The room I was staying in was the one that had one belonged to the girl named Terra. Before I could analyze this too much, my eyes fluttered closed and sleep overtook me. However, I didn't sleep much that night.

**Okay, I know it's not my best work, but school has been really tedious. It's long though! I really hope you like reading my stories, but I won't know unless you click the review button and tell me! Until next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I feel like crap, so I'm going to write. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, would I be writing on fanfiction? I think not.**

Like every other night, I had a nightmare, but tonight I awoke from a terrifying dream only to enter my frightening reality. As always, it wasn't what happened that mattered, it was what it all meant. The dream was familiar enough, except for the ending. It was like when someone voices over the bad words in a particularly foul-mouthed movie. I was lying in a pool of blood beside Nick and we were dying, but in the next second we were sitting in his half destroyed house. I could nearly feel his lips against mine, his strong arms wrapped around me. Enough of that, onto the point. At first I was confused, but when my eyes opened it all made sense again. Except that what was happening right in front of my un-dreaming eyes made as much sense as the make up of a cell. Which means I was still utterly lost.

However, there he stood by the window, his long lean figure outlined by the lights of Jump city. Nick seemed to be digging through some oversized trunk. He froze with the change in my breathing, knowing the instant I was awake. After all, his images were the ones that filled my head. His eyes caught mine for half a second, squinting into the darkness with his poor eyesight. His eyes probed me and even without his glasses, I could tell he saw more than he let on. Without turning away from me, he drove his hand into the case, groping through its contents. I didn't move, afraid that a single breath would shatter the illusion. I found myself studying him, from his classic black converse to his scruffy dark hair. The place I avoided: his eyes. Or at least I tried, but the whites of those peepers glowed like those of a cats. It was breathtaking, and sort of frightening. Finally, his hands closed around a small silver object and he turned his gaze on his glittering treasure.

That was when it hit me. Nick was stealing stuff from my room. As he scanned the piece, I leapt from my bed, letting the covers fall to the side. His head snapped up and I froze in what you might call fear. I've free fallen off of Titan's Tower, I no longer feel fear. It was a reflex reaction, and not to the situation. I was immobilized by the images he pressed into my eyes. The funny thing about the past is, no matter how hard you try to forget it, there will always be something in the world that triggers a fuzzy recollection. My trigger happens to be a psychic placing those exact memories into my head. A pinching feeling in my temple was followed by the searing pain I felt in my cheek when the school's quarterback threw a football at me. Then came the sharp stabbing I felt when I arrived home moments later and mom didn't notice the swelling lump. I doubled over as the beer bottle slammed against my ribs at homecoming. My heart ached as the boy who had brought me as his date dumped his fruit punch on my head. Over and over again, the pain came, and I felt the bruises develop and then disappear, but at the same time I knew it was an illusion. I wasn't really feeling the crushing of my ribs beneath me, but my eyes told me I was crashing through that same storefront window. The final blow came in an unexpected way. I walked through the front door of our little house in Gotham and felt my heart drop to my stomach. My mother stood in the kitchen, her usual cheery smile stretched somewhat tightly across her odd skin. In her hands was a tray of blueberry muffins that neither of us would end up eating. Me because something about the blueberries didn't seem quite right (I swear one of them moved) and my mom because I could tell by her reddened eyes and tear stained cheeks that she had been crying. Behind her, sitting on the kitchen table, was today's newspaper. Later that night I snuck downstairs to read it, but there was a hole burned through the middle of it. The confusion and fear that ripped through my chest was enough to snap me back to reality, or maybe Nick figured I had had enough. The ten year old me dissolved and I felt my mind numb as I came back to the present. I had a vague understanding of what went on around me now as Nick disappeared through the window. My heart leapt as I realized something. It was probably the most pathetic and demeaning thing I would ever admit to feeling, and I'm not sure I even want to admit to it, but that boy dissolving into the night was my last chance at feeling alive. My life is so messed up.

So then I did what any love-struck teenage heroine would do in this situation. I jumped out the window after him. Like an idiot. As I began my free-fall towards the hard, rocky shores, I spread my arms and legs in the hopes that it would slow my descent and prayed to whatever god was listening. Sadly, my drop was not short with a quick and painless death. I also didn't magically develop my mother's ability to fly like you'd think. After what seemed like hours of stomach-turning skydiving, I slammed into a wall of water in what was the worst belly flop of my life. High tide had saved my life, but it had also left me with a severe wedgy. I came up for air as a wave broke over my head, forcing the salty bay water into my oxygen-deprived lungs. I went under, and felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, tugging me deeper into the icy water. I turned to look my transgressor in the face, my muddled mind expecting an angel of death. Zarroff stared back at me, taking in my open mouth and shocked face with a calm exterior. A dark tunnel formed and began to shrink around him as he pulled out a small mouthpiece and shoved it in my mouth. The tunnel sealed soon after, leaving me in darkness. Again. Something small pulled at the back of my mind and I let it engulf my thoughts. Just a string of words that can hardly be called a sentence, and they weren't all that reassuring. _Your alive,_ Came a tentative voice. _Oh joy,_ came my sarcastic reply.

**Okay, so it's been a while, and this is a really pathetic update, but I've been having some medical problems the last 7 months and I'm still sorting through it all. I'm having some writer's block about a few things, but hopefully I'll be able to give longer and more frequent updates. Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	12. Chapter 12

I was entangled in the rough, cheap sheets of a gaudy hotel room, the bold white walls screaming at my aching head. At first I thought that I couldn't move because of the sheets, but as the feeling came back to my battered limbs I came to the realization that I wasn't even under the covers. My arms and legs tingled like they were enveloped in rough fabric, but I could see from the corner of my eyes that they were sprawled straight from my body, heavy as lead and clearly not willing to obey me. I wasn't alone either. In the far corner was Zaroff, standing attentively in front of the door with a blank expression. His eyes almost immediately moved to mine, and for a second I thought a smile cross his lips. There was a reassuring warmth in my chest that disturbed me in the rational part of my mind (a small part, seeing as I jumped out a window). Maybe Zaroff wasn't just an ordinary goon, but a silencer. Calm hostages are quiet hostages, after all.

His attention shifted suddenly, his head turned to the side. At first I thought he was staring at the wall, but then I heard it too. Arguing on the other side of the door growing louder as they approached the door, then halting just outside of it. Nick was still grumbling as he opened the door, followed closely by his father. Obviously they still weren't getting along. Nick's eyes snapped to mine, at first with anger, then with something close to worry.

"You look like a lobster, Miss Belly Flop." He said, a weak note of humor cut off by a sigh.

"Really? Cause I feel like a skinned cat." I murmured, trying once again to move and failing. "I can't even move!"

"That will be quite enough Zaroff," chimed his father, "you may leave." The tingling stopped, and as Zaroff turned to leave he slipped something onto a side table. Nick and his father were too busy staring at each other. _This is either a very intense mind conversation, or a stare off._ Nick sighed again and yanked me up by the wrist so that I was standing, albeit shakily, in the deep, white carpet. He pulled me forward, more gently this time, but I feigned weakness in what must have been the most ditzy moment of my life. I slumped to my knees, bumping my shoulder on the side table on the way down.

"S-sorry…" I whimpered, slipping the paper into my pocket. Or the pocket of someone's pants… In fact none of the clothes I was wearing were mine. _Great, so one of these nimrods… fabulous._ Nick scooped me up princess style (_weee…_) and carried me out the room. _If your reading my mind right now, I want you to know I'm pissed at you._ There was no doubt in my mind that he was, but he didn't show it. He was upset about something. By the time we reached the elevator, I was struggling out of his arms to stand on my own feet.

"And you're upset why?" I questioned, knowing he couldn't avoid it if I asked out loud. He just shrugged and stuck his hands in his pocket. Guess he could avoid it. Well then…

As I look around the elevator and the hallway we enter into I realize this couldn't be a hotel. The eccentric tastes of their house rang true here. Medieval weapons hung from the cinderblock walls just like the dungeon. However, something struck me about this place. Every couple of feet there were pictures. The first ones had a plump little baby, then a toddler, then a toddler at a funeral… Wait, what? I craned my neck back but too late… we kept moving. An Elementary school kid and a Middle school kid came next and I continued to wonder who it was. Whose house was this anyway? A relatives or just some random person's who happened to be in the wrong crowd? Nick gave a pitiful chuckle, and as we turned a corner I saw why. The last picture was clearly Nick, with his glossy black hair rumpled, his glasses askew, and his eyes wide in surprise. I froze in front of it. _Awkward much?_

"My entire high school experience was awkward." He chuckled, stopping to look too. I would have joined him, but something was nagging in my head.

"When did you…"

"Freshman year was my last year," he shrugged. "My dad didn't want… well he needed to keep me… secure." He turned to face the direction we had been walking in, but there was a wall. He touched some spot on it and the whole thing moved down. "This is what he wanted you to see."

It looked like a sinister Dexter's Laboratory, with shiny, metal equipment covered in flashing lights of different colors. Several screens, each with a different human form, hung before some sort of control panel. The air felt stale and cold, like nothing living had been here in a while. I had to wonder why I needed to see this. Nick led me by the hand over to a deep alcove, but as I peered inside I realized there was nothing. Of course, every other wall is actually a door. I continued into the alcove, not noticing Nick's hand had slipped from mine until it was too late. I heard a loud slam, and as I turned around my stomach dropped. Bars had blocked the entrance, with only me inside. Nick secured the lock, his eyes away from me. I couldn't even be mad though, just stunned. Nick turned and stood by the entrance to the lair as Red-X sauntered through. Something small and silver was in the later person's hand. _From your room._ Nick whispered in my mind. It was what he stole. As the got closer to the control panel, I could see it was some sort of round compact, but there probably wasn't makeup in it. He opened it, revealing a silver maze-like pattern that he pressed onto the control board. The screens blinked to life, outlining the forms. Then I realized that one of them was the outline of my mother, and I had a feeling I knew who the rest were. "Wouldn't it be better to wait?" Nick interrupted, "It would be better to watch them suffer." Red-X moved his hand from the board, apparently agreeing.

Something hot boiled in my chest and filtered through my veins. Some sort of inner strength made me pulse with anger. I didn't know what they were doing, but it wasn't going to happen. I walked to the back of the cell, so much like the one in my dreams. I already knew that there was no way out, but I ran anyways. Even as I approached the dark steel, I didn't slow. My arms still pumped mechanically at my side, my lungs gulped down air, but I could feel my throat closing. Breathing became pointless, the air seemed to thicken and my legs tightened like bows. I was the arrow. In a last ditch effort, I lunged forward and drove my shoulder into the metal bars. I crumpled to the ground in pain. I knew there was no way the bars had moved, it wasn't possible. A cry caught in my throat, and a tear escaped down my cheek. If you have asthma, then you know how much harder it is to breathe when your crying. Everything went fuzzy (like I knew it would) as the scariest part of all this came. Like I knew it would, because this was my living nightmare. Nick and Red-X had watched my failed attempt to resurrect some sort of power, and now Nick sauntered over, no longer the comforting figure he had been. His words were the same. "You know you'll never beat it, so why do you keep trying?" His harsh voice rang through me. "It's a waste of time for a weakling like you. All you'll ever be useful for is helping others, never yourself. Time to wake up." But I couldn't this time. It was too much. I crawled to the back of the cell and curled into a ball in the corner. I heard Nick's footsteps fade and hoped he wasn't listening to me. Red-X seemed more preoccupied with his toy than with my mind. I slipped the piece of paper from my pocket and read it.

Get away from the walls.

I blinked the tears from my eyes and read it a few more times to make sure, then crawled to the middle of the cell and stood up. Nick's head whipped around, but once he saw my glare he turned back. Did he know? _Know what?_ I thought, _Zaroff might as well have drawn a smiley face. _Nothing really helpful was there.

We all just sat around for a while, and I began to wonder why when I heard a bird chirping. Actually it was more of a screeching, and it was really loud. _Giant Bird? _The walls at the back of the cell glowed black, then white, before crumbling backwards, revealing that woman with the grey skin…flying. I heard the distant thump of the bricks hitting soil, then the same screeching from before. It was a green Pterodactyl carrying Nightwing. _Oh great, it's dear old daddy and a green dinosaur. Why are my dreams more plausible than real life?_ Mom flew next to him, but stayed there only a moment before she encased me in a hug, nearly knocking me over in the process. All the while no one behind me gasped or made any motion to run away. They didn't even more when Cyborg and Zaroff (who's a good guy now?) burst through the wall-turned door. Cyborg just blew a hole in the wall with his lazar arm and no one blinked! When I looked back again, Nightwing, grey girl, and Beast Boy were standing there, the Pterodactyl having vanished.

Red-X just smiled and turned the compact, making the screens glow red. My mother gasped in pain and collapsed in my arms, her skin burning the same shade. The rest of them were the same, all but Zaroff, who rolled on the ground in pain, clutching a metal bracelet that seemed to be electrocuting him. I glanced back and forth between Nick and Red-X in horror, clutching my mother closely. Nick looked down guiltily, messing with something in his fingers. _All these people, my family… how could you? No, HOW DARE YOU!_ I set my mother down and ran at the bars again, grasping them in anger. Something smoked beneath my fingertips, and I realized it was the metal. The bars, and then the entire room, glowed green. I drew back and slammed my hands into the bars, rolling head-first onto the ground when they disintegrated at my touch. I stood, unfazed and faced Red-X, his sneer vanished and his body frozen. I brought my fist up and felt power surged up my arm before it came smashing down on the compact. The whole system sparked and whistled with pain before growing dark and silent. I turned to Nick, who appeared calm and observant, and tackled him to the ground. I brought my fist up, aiming for his face, but something pushed into me, and I missed. Oh I still hit him, but he wasn't dead. I tried again, but I was pinned under Red-X, whose knife had sliced up my arm. I felt no pain, but then something broke my concentration.

"Veronica…" Nick muttered. A chill ran down my spine, and everything was normal color again. Red-X was pulled off of me, and someone was pounding him behind me. The world spun around me. _So much blood…_ I landed on my back next to Nick. I lay on the hard stone floor, my hand resting on something comparatively soft. I looked over and my eyes met with his steady gaze. His features were twisted in agony, his new glasses shattered. He clutched my right hand tightly as if it was his life support. I felt a tear slide gently down my cheek. I knew he was dying. I sat up on my elbows and looked down at both of us. We were covered in blood, and it wasn't just his. The arm he held had a long, deep gash. I rested my head against his red stained chest. _Not this dream too._ I managed to sit up, and he, in turn, got up on his elbows. I wrapped my arms around him, blood soaking through my shirt until I wasn't sure whose was whose.

"I'm s-sorry," I cried softly. "I d-didn't know… I couldn't…" _Why couldn't I stop? Why didn't he tell me it would be me who hurt him?_ Suddenly, I understood his discomfort earlier.

"Hmmm…" he muttered quietly. "You're warm." Something warm was spreading, first through me, then through him.

"Veronica!" My mother gasped. I let Nick go, expecting him to collapse, but he sat up as though nothing was wrong. He wasn't bleeding, and neither was I. "Your powers! They have arrived inside of you!"

Nick came with us, seeing as his father was now in prison. It took some massive pleading, but by the time we got back to Titan's Tower (which we walked to, since it was two stinking blocks away) it was decided that Nick could sleep on the couch for the time being. Zaroff went home, saying goodbye to his old friend Cyborg. All the loose ends seemed to be tied, so why couldn't I sleep that night. I lay in my bed, in the room that once belonged to a girl named Terra._ She sure caused a lot of trouble. _I felt too restless to even close my eyes, so I crept to into the hallway, the sliding metal door closing behind me. When I reached the living room, it was so quiet I thought he was sleeping. But he stood once I entered and walked over to the window. I went to stand next to him, the dense carpet burrowing into my feet. He put an arm around my shoulders and when I turned he was staring into my eyes. I didn't like it. When he kissed me it was even worse. It was warm and soft, but bitter. It was too close to goodbye. I lay my head against his chest and closed my eyes, wrapping my hands in his.

When I woke up he was gone, and I was laying on the couch with a slip of paper in my grasp.

See you around.

It wasn't goodbye. If it had been anyone else I would call it a lie, but I had a dream that night, and I know now that dreams do come true (although its cheesy sounding). I felt a presence so I turned towards the window, but there was no one there. _See you soon,_ I thought.


End file.
